Quest The Search for Rykari Roses

[Razputin Demetrius Teak]

Somewhere a couple miles out from the walls of Elbion, the sun was harshly beating down upon a town near the Seret Mountains. The citizens had adapted to these conditions, walking around and working and trading and living as usual, and everything seemed to be normal at first glance. Well, normal until you looked in a rather inconspicuous tavern nestled in one of the more busy streets, though they might be called walkways for how few carriages and horses made an appearance. Inside the rather small building sat exactly twenty nine college students, all from Elbion. This was all well and good, until the supervisor tasked with timing the attending scholars realized there should have been thirty within its confines. Luckily, the thirtieth and last participant made his way inside shortly after, to which the professor gave him a sharp look and said nothing more. Razputin, as it turned out, was that person, and it would suffice to say that calling him embarrassed would be an understatement.

Razputin looked around at the tavern, Eyes searching for a place to sit, eager to get that little mistake out of the way and jump into the mission. Unable to find a seat, he would pile into a booth and quickly retreat into his own mind. The professor had introduced the idea suddenly and picked groups just as fast, and he attempted to recall what information he had been given at their one and only briefing on the test. Honestly, he had only really caught the beginning and main ideas and in that moment, as he tried to remember anything at all, fiercely wished he would have had the foresight to take notes. Finally, words began to form in his mind which he turned to sentences, mentally breathing a startlingly loud sigh of relief. There was a time limit of three days to get through the jungle, and not a minute could be wasted on something like trying to figure out what to get. Finally, he began reviewing what he had recalled:

"Scholars, you have proved you can learn things and spit them back at me with great accuracy, and that is all well and good. School is somewhat that, surely, but you must also be able to use the knowledge you throw out in exasperated answers. As it turns out, the school is missing a-" At this point, it would move from his head to his mouth, a decision that changed the course of the mission. "Incredibly valuable....I put out a notice in different names so adventurers and mercenaries could help. It will be pretty dangerous, but I believe you can do this. If you can't, though, that's not my problem." Finally, he would snap out of his stupor and look up, realizing he was now sitting in front of someone who was staring at him oddly. "Gah! Sorry for being weird. I didn't see you." Eyes flickering to the side, he would notice everyone finally exiting and sigh, somehow already mentally and physically tired.

Finally sliding out of the booth and joining the rest of his class, Raz would watch as groups of three one by one set off. There were no proctors around, and he watched confusedly as a group of five set off. Only a couple minutes after did he realize two of the five were most likely his team-mates for the project. Cursing to himself, he would lean against the quest board, utterly and completely defeated. "No way I can do this on my own. I was going to sell some petals to buy new stuff for my bed, too." He'd grit his teeth, now less focused on his robes dirtying against the dusty wood and more working on holding back tears. It's not like the Professors could stop those jerks now anyway, no need to cry about it. There was only one paper left on the board, an assignment bearing the pseudonym of Raz's group (if it could be called that now): Varis L'enge.

Vandor Colton Lilette Blackbriar (Maybe Colton takes the quest and Lilette overhears?)

 

[Lilette Blackbriar]

A lone woman sat along a dimly lit booth far from the nearest window, sometimes glancing up at the rowdy students or even glaring with her silvery eyes, half hidden behind the rim of a tankard filled with wine of only passing quality.

Her black vestments and iron star-pendant marked her as a nun of the Celestialist church, and though it was unusual to see one of her order in such a place, especially one with such strikingly pale features, one could still mistake her for an annoyed patron, as many of the younger students had spawned quite the commotion until finally their teacher had split them up into little groups of three.

In truth however, she was most pleased to see them.

The young alchemist had heard tell of these "Rykari roses" and the attempts to hire mercenaries not long after making her visit to Elbion, and was most intrigued by the properties of these rare flowers. So much in fact, that she had abandoned her original mission in the city to pursue them.

The plan was to follow one of the groups from afar- whichever she deemed to have the most potential- and simply swipe some of the flowers for herself once they had been found.

However, none of these groups looked promising, thus her frustrated glaring.


Curiously, a new voice broke the fleeting silence, causing the young woman to abruptly turn towards the source.

"Incredibly valuable....I put out a notice in different names so adventurers and mercenaries could help. It will be pretty dangerous, but I believe you can do this. If you can't, though, that's not my problem."

From another booth just behind her, A young man's rambles had caught both another patron herself by surprise.

Most would assume that he spoke nonsense, something which his conversational "companion" likely suspected, But to her it seemed like a reference to the quest board notice that brought her here in the first place.

Suddenly this young man had become so very important for a student that had been left behind by his classmates, and she found herself staring as he wandered off to check the board, perhaps expecting his mercenaries to arrive soon? Internally she debated whether to introduce herself now or perhaps follow him instead, though there was no telling when they may leave.

Finally she decided, taking a deep breath and finishing her wine so that she may leave her seat and introduce herself.

"Uhm... young sir...?" She approached shyly, trying not to spook the man with her otherwise quiet footsteps.

"Pardon me, thou'rt an apprentice of the grand college, yes? In search of a rose beyond the desert?"

"My name is Lilette," Her porcelain face softened into an otherwise warm, yet reserved smile

"I believe we might share a commonality in our cause"

Razputin Demetrius Teak Vandor Colton

 

[Vandor Colton]

Spoiler: Music IC

The bartender lifted his eyes to the man sat at the other side of the counter. “This place has just a bit of gambling, stranger.” He nodded yonder. “Liar’s Dice in the corner.” Pointed forward. “Poker.” Took a rag to a tankard. “But a few patrons who play, mister.”

The man, the mercenary, lifted his glass to his lips, sipped whiskey, and wondered. He had a chance against these patrons, he reckoned, given that there were few who wagered. Then again, that meant they were no less practiced, and just might grind him into the dirt.

“Well,” Vandor set the empty glass on the counter. “What else do you hear? And I’ll take a beer.”

The bartender served a tankard filled with liquid amber. “Not much else, feller. Unless you like spending time in the forest.” He shrugged. “Jungle, to be specific.” He gestured onward. “With college kids.”

“Oh?” Vandor turned backward and overheard. The tutor had put out a notice in different names so adventurers and mercenaries could help, as the sellsword further learned after he paced toward the questboard.

By the time he turned back, the gang of lads and ladies were getting ready into groups of three. Having considered the currency amid the prospective flowers, the mercenary looked left, looked right, and found his quarry.

Right beside him, actually. There were two figures already. Vandor spoke after the first newcomer as he approached the male. “Hello.” He didn’t know much about a bed of rose petals or dusted robes though. “Vandor Colton. Sellsword.” He introduced himself with a well-to-do attitude even if he wasn’t rich. “Need a third?”

Razputin Demetrius Teak Lilette Blackbriar

 

[Razputin Demetrius Teak]

Things could literally not be worse right now. I'll need a miracle to pass the class, even if I can prove my teammates ditched me, He'd think with a grimace, unaware of how quickly his luck was about to change. As he was leaning against the board, feeling like an absolute piece of crap, he'd pick up on a strange sound: Footsteps, surely, but whose? Looking slowly up, he would spy a pale woman nearly as fair as himself approaching, and stand a bit straighter. He obviously didn't feel too great about, probably almost everything, but if this unknown lady wanted to speak with him moping would make for an uncomfortable talk. Returning the lady's gentle smile with a similarly cordial look, he would do his best to make it seem less pained and more normal but ultimately fail a little.

Quickly realizing the grim look his face was making, he would get to talking instead, desperate to move on. "Lilette? Well, it's lovely to meet you. Pardon the odd looks, I'm just...thinking, I guess." He would continue to listen, taking everything in. When the lady brought up having something in common with him(If he had translated her use of Old Common correctly), He'd quickly think about what it might be. Well, it couldn't be that they were in the College, because they would be in a group already. Besides, there was something else to consider: What had she meant by cause? The only thing he was planning to do was- Ah. Suddenly, it dawned on Razputin, so obviously clear he would have facepalmed if he wasn't currently talking to someone.

Still, he wasn't very good with the whole social skills thing, and though he had no romantic interest and assumed Lilette did not either, it was harder for him to really focus given his conversational companion was quite pretty, at least by conventional standards. "The Roses, then? Are you here for the quest? I was supposed to go as well, but I'm decently unliked by my peers, and as such got abandoned." He weighed his options now, totally concentrated on what to do next, given it was so important: Either he could journey into the Jungle with Lilette, or stay back. One of those was a dangerous choice, while the other might land him a failing grade in alchemy, which might be even worse than death. Luckily, the dilemma was solved when another person came up, this one a man in armor offering to be the third member of the group.

He happened to be a sellsword, so that meant real world experience. Definitely useful to have someone who could use a sword not just to spar but to kill. This team was forming up to be a pretty solid band, and Raz smiled a bit. "You as well? I have naught to pay you with, but I'm sure the college won't mind if a few petals go missing at the end of the day. They're valuable, but I'm sure you know that." A question then popped into his head, the one he knew might just save his grade entirely, that being: "Lilette, Colton, if it so helps you, might you accompany me to the Rykari Garden? It seems we all have reasons to help each other get there."

Lilette Blackbriar Vandor Colton

 

[Lilette Blackbriar]

"Thinking? A troublesome thing, but I fear it happens to the best of us" She snickered, trying to lighten the mood some.

Lilette wasn't exactly a social butterfly growing up the way she did or speaking the way she does, but over the past few years away from home she had learned to read humans decently well. Usually it was their own bodies that betrayed their thoughts, or the way they spoke rather than what was spoken in of itself.

But of course, her attempts to break the ice had duel purpose, as does everything Lilette Blackbriar puts her mind to.

It may have taken a moment to read him, but it wasn't long before she realized that the boy's nervous demeanor wasn't entirely one of discomfort, and she knew that own appearance had something to do with that. She supposed it was one of the few advantages her lineage had afforded her, and she was certainly willing to use it if it meant furthering her own agenda.

The roses were far more valuable to her than anyone here might realize, after all.

"Abandoned? How strange... thou'rt a gentle sort, by my reckoning. Yet resourceful, to gain what advantage thou canst from mercenaries and the like. 'tis a rare set of traits for but one human to exhibit, but deserving of recognition I should think?"

She afforded him a melancholy, understanding smile. Though it wasn't entirely false either, nor was anything the elf said if she could help it.

Of course, another joined them by the name of Vandor Colton, putting her little scheme to a halt for the moment. The trouble with sellswords in her experience was that they came in two breeds: Dumb as a sack of stones, or frustratingly perceptive, especially if they were in the habit of fighting particular categories of monsters.

Until she could be sure which one the newcomer was, she'd have to keep an eye on him and keep her guard up as well.

"Mister Colton," She would bow her head in greeting all the same
"And Mister-" A brief glance at the quest board would have to suffice in lieu of word of mouth, given that the Mage hadn't properly introduced himself and that she was supposed to be an adventurer for the day

"Mister L'enge. If payment should be an issue, I can offer potent brews crafted from mine own share of petals, assuming enough remain for experimentation, as that is why I've come. I am an alchemist and doctor, you see. Come from the Bimaristan medicinal college of Ragash, with aims to cure a condition most rare"

Vandor Colton Razputin Demetrius Teak

 

[Vandor Colton]

Spoiler: Music IC (Recurring)

Mr. Colton, as the name of address went, looked between the other two guests of the tavern, but neither were exactly patrons. Indeed, none of the three. Whether they were adventurers, doctors, mercenaries or college kids, they were a unit for the quest ahead of them.

Vandor was certainly not one for flair or for the dramatic but he would treat his contemporaries as his partners as far as the mission provided. It looked like it did. As talk of no payment except for petals went, potent brews came next with the offer from the doctor and alchemist.

Bimaristan. That name gave merit and lent credit to her claim as far as words could determine. The Bimaristan was Ragash’s college of medicine, so maybe her promise would prove true. Either way, the mercenary would accept the payment of the petals themselves.

He was also quite ready for another adventure.

“Reasons indeed,” Vandor agreed. “You have my sword.” It was just as well the weapon of his namesake to sell. “And the garden has my paycheck.” At that, the sellsword was ready to move forward. Conversation between the three could wait for the journey.

Razputin Demetrius Teak Lilette Blackbriar

 

[Razputin Demetrius Teak]

"Ah, sorry. That's just the name my teacher used because a bunch of quests to a dangerous location being run by first-year scholars seems stupid to most people. My name is Razputin, but you can call me Raz. If that's a bit informal for ya, I also answer to my shorter last name, Teak." With that clarification, he would turn to face the jungle, taking a breath and fixing his hat so it was no longer falling over his eyes. Looking up to the sky, he would thank whatever God there was out there that they had sent such a miraculous duo to aid him in what would have been a failure otherwise.

Turning back to his compatriots, he would gesture with a hand for them to start walking and then join them. Turning to Lilette, he would try to shake the last worries from his mind by hopefully starting a conversation. "You went to the Bimaristan? That's a pretty prestigious place, if I remember right. Cool, so I guess I'm not the only college student on this trip." He'd say this with a light laugh, but it was clear he wasn't all there. The reason for this distracted state was the fact that despite his best efforts, the idea of running headfirst into a unknown situation unnerved him.

Even with the help of these two, would they be able to beat whatever guarded the garden? The petals were expensive, meaning they were rare, and that either meant the plant was elusive or there was a much more deadly reason for their status as out of the ordinary. Luckily, he knew that his other friends would help. It kind of felt bad to have such an advantage, because nobody else benefited from it but him, but their group of five had in fact always been a group of eight. They were finally approaching the jungle canopy, and the thick leaves formed a roof that blocked out the sun just enough.

Thanks to this, his friends knew to wake up. Lazily shoving themselves out of his darkness and forming into their full selves in a few seconds flat, Antares would speak first(Nobody but Raz can hear this unless they also understand ghosts. Also, if you can't sense magic, it'll just look like nothing was ever there and all is normal.), an expression of outrage on his face. Raz gave an apologetic look and waited for Antares to stop ranting about disrupting his beauty sleep and how much he needs it to keep up his "angelic" singing voice. It was far from angelic, but he would never say that to the specter. "Sorry, this one's on me. I'll let ya sleep more next time, but this is pretty important." Ant calmed down a bit and realized that hidden behind his casual demeanor was a huge ball of stress, so he stopped talking and quieted.

"Raz, you alright?" He'd ask this with genuine concern, a sentiment not missed by his friend, who just smiled a bit. Good ol' Ant, always waking up first. A true friend, the bard was, even if they had never been able to meet on the same plane.

 

[Lilette Blackbriar]

"Oh...! Indeed, I ken thine reasoning" Lilette chuckled awkwardly, realizing this task may be more effort than anticipated.

No matter! she had been through far worse and come out on top, surely this time would be no different. If anything, she ought to be more worried about her companion's well being than her own. While escorting students was admittedly a new experience, the addition of Vandor Colton would hopefully ease the burden. If she were lucky, perhaps she could even maintain her guise throughout the adventure.

"You went to the Bimaristan? That's a pretty prestigious place, if I remember right. Cool, so I guess I'm not the only college student on this trip."

"Hm? Oh pardon, I was lost in thought again," She would regard him with a smile as they walked

"The God Emperor opened the Bimaristan to foreigners whence coming to power, which drew me from mine home southward to study only a few years afore now. Now I am doctor in my mine own right"

"With plenty experience with wounds to tend the both of thee, should we find trouble" She looked to both Razputin and Vandor reassuringly.

"An alchemist as well, though 'tis more to do with medicinal science than magic in my case"

Admitting to a lack of arcane talent caused her to withdraw for a moment in an attempt to hide her own feelings on matters of sorcery, though it appeared that her newfound traveling companion also had a lot on his mind anyway, looking as if he was in another world or another conversation.

"Uhm, hmm... What of you, mister Colton?" She turned to the sellsword to strike up another conversation.

"I should doubt this job to be thine first. Art thou native to these lands or perhaps from afar as well?"

 

[Vandor Colton]

Spoiler: Music OOC

They embarked in arms. Three there were, a trio, if not a triumvirate per se. An inside joke, maybe. Yet they walked as one, side by side, if not quite in a triangle, with Vandor on one flank, left hand resting on the sword sheathed at the same hip, eyes open. His was a silent disposition, a relaxed gait amid plate armor that fitted his form; the natural march of one well accustomed to serving as a bodyguard.

He wasn’t so much defined as one, of course. Not his profession outright. Vandor Colton was a sellsword. Walking side by side, though, well it wouldn’t do him much good if this pair of college kids, in retrospect of definition, ended up getting killed by his failing to defend them. The man needed to get paid someway and the younger man was his ticket to finding those petals within this jungle; the woman his best bet of profiting from them.

Whatever hell awaits us. Dangers awaited. The professor or whatever back in that tavern had mentioned as much and had thus offered the adventure to mercs in extension. So there he was, that Vandor Colton, a distant swordsman, a pinprick of dust on the earth’s horizon, taking in the sights of the environment: verdant vegetation, thick bushes and thickets, trees dense enough to hide blighted beasts between.

Beneath the canopy, the mercenary gazed skyward, as if he might spy archers within the trees. He saw nothing, lowering his gaze, ignoring his contemporaries, whether scholars or specters. Pacing, as if absentminded, but really he was just patrolling.

“Hm?” Amidst the conversations, his ear pricked to ‘Mr. Colton’. Vandor turned to the girl from earlier. His companion, no less; his teammate amid a team of three. “Oh.” If his lips could shrug then they just did at her question. “I’ve been on a number of jobs before this one, yes. Cross-continent, no less. Grew up on a farm in the Allir Reach.”

He suddenly wondered what his parents were doing. Farming. Probably. “And here I am.” His lips shifted into a genuine smile rather than a smug grin. “A simple man with a sword to sell and two good hands.”

Lilette Blackbriar
Razputin Demetrius Teak